Rotary combustion engine



E. w. RICH ROTARY COMBUSTION ENGINE 'July 9, 1946 Filed Aug. 17, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet l v I m/e ntor Z 145F577 h. Pm/v,

July 9, 1946.. E. w. RICH 2,403,684-

ROTARY. COMBUST ]'.ON ENGINE Filed Aug. 17, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 II 24 I as Inventor [ii-HUT h/ fP/c H,

WWW

July 9, 1946: 5, w. RICH 2, 03,684

Rd'I'ARY COMBUSTION ENGINE 7 Filed Aug. 17, 1944 4Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor I I o v I B] I v WWWfiMggq Patented July 9, 1946 'UNITED I STATES PATENT OFF-ICE ROTARY COMBUSTION ENGINE Everett W. Rich, San-Diego; Calif.

Application August 17, 1944, Serial No; 549,948

The present invention relates to new and. useful improvements in rotary combustion engines of" the type disclosed in my co-pending applicatfon Serial No. 548',43'7;.filed-August 7, 1944.

The primary object of the present invention is to simplify and improve the construction and operation of rotary. combustion engines" of the above kind by providing a single rotary valvein the engine head, which rotaryvalve is provided with the combustion chamber and controls the supply of explosive charges to the engine housing for compression, the supply of compressed; charges from the engine housing'to the combustion chamberof' the valve, the discharge of exploded charges from the combustion chamber into the housing, and the exhaust of spent gases from the housing to the exhaust pipe of the engine.

A more specific object of the invention isto provide a construction 'of the above kind in which the spark plug for igniting the explosive charges in the combustion chamber is carried by and rotates with the rotary valve.

More specific features and advantages of. the invention. willbecome apparent from the follow ing description when. considered. in connection with the accompanying drawings; and the invention consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a rotary combustion engine constructed in accordance with. the. present invention.

Figure 2 isa fragmentary top plan viewthereof.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal. section taken. on line 33 of Figure 1.

,Figure 4. is a fragmentary vertical section; taken substantially on line. 4-4 of Figure l, with the rotary valve in elevation.

Figure 5 is an. elevational view of the rotary valve per set Figure 6 is a transverse section taken on line 6--6 of Figure 5. e

Figure 7 is aview similar to Figure 4, but with the rotary valve in central longitudinal section.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary transverse section taken substantially on line 88 of Figure '7.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the present engine includes a housing 5 preferably composed of an intermediate section 6 and end sections I and la bolted together, as at B, and formed to include base portions 9.

1 Claim. (Cl. 12316) substantially cylindrical valve l9.

2 Mounted on top of the housing. 511s aheadll) that is preferably divided verticallyto correspond to the sections of the, housing, the sections of the head being similarly bolted together, as at ca. Rods ll secure the housing and head sec.- tions in assembled relation.

Arotary'p-iston. 12' is mounted ec'centrically in the; housing 5 and fixed on one end of a shaft 53 which is journaled in an off-center bearing I4' provided therefor inthe' end section 1 of the housing 5. .The eccentric arrangement of pis'- ton I2 in the housing 5 provides the usual crescent shaped compression and power chamber l5 within saidhousing, and slidable through rocking bearings of the piston 12 are radially movable vanes as shown in my above-mentioned copending application and in Italian Patent No.-

2493539 of July 28', 1926, one of said bearings being indicated at l8 and one of said vanes being indicated at I! in Figure 8;

In accordance with the present invention, the

headi nis' formed centrally between its sides with a relatively large horizontal substantially cylindrical chamber l8 in which is rotatably fitted a The chamber l8'and valve l9 preferablytaper slightly from right'to left of Figure 4, and the chamber l8 1 is open at the endat the right of said Figure 4.

At this end ofthe chamber l8, a combined intake and exhaust fitting 23 is bolted, as at 2! (Fig. 3) to the head HJ; which: fitting includes an" axial intake passage 22 and a surrounding exhaust v chamber 23'. Explosive charges are supplied to the-intake passage 2,2 by means of. a pipe 24 leading-from a: suitable carburetor and connected to a nipple 0f. fitting-2i]; as ati25, The exhaust chamber Til communicates with an exhaust pipe 26'. At the left end of valve l9, as viewed in Figur-es 4 and 7, said: valve is formed with a combustion chamberzl that is closed at its outer side by a removable plug. 28" provided onone end of a tubular shaft 29 journaled in a bushing 38 threadedin an opening of. the: head It. provided axially'of'the' valve' chamber. The shaft 29 mm ject's. at this side ofv the head and has a gear: 3| secured thereon which meshes wlth another gear 3 securedon the projecting shaft i301. the piston 11?; Obviously; thisprovides a driving means for the rotary valve when the engine is in'operation. By adjusting bushing 30 outwardly into engagement with gear 3|, the valve l9 may be drawn to the left, of Figure 4 so as to snugly seat said tapered valve I9 in its tapered chamber 18. Valve l9'is provided on its periphery and at suitable points with packing rings 33, and a lock nut 34 3 may be threaded on bushing 30 to secure it in adjusted position. At the other or right end, as viewed in Figure 4, the valve I9has an axial hollow reduced portion 35 that is journaled in the central portion of the fitting 20 and also provided with peripheral packing rings. At the right end, as viewed in Figure '1, the valve I9 has an axial intake passage 35 and a. second longitudinal passage 31 at one side of said passage 36. The inner end of passage 36 communicates with a peripheral arcuate port 33 provided in the valve I9 adjacent the combustion chamber 21, while the inner end of passage 31 communicates with another peripheral arcuate port 39 of the valve I9. The valve I9 also has two other fired in the chamber 21 and the port 4I simularcuate peripheral ports 40 and M which com-' municate with the combustion chamber 21, and

it will be noted that the ports are successively staggered 90 about the periphery of the valve I9. Provided in the head I!) and housing 5 is a passage 42 located in the plane of the port 4| and arranged to conduct exploded gases from the combustion chamber 21 to the compression and power chamber I5 of the housing. At the opposite side of the valve, the head In and housing 5 has a similar passage 43 located in the plane of the port 40 of the valve and arranged to conduct compressed charges from the chamber I5 of the housing to the combustion chamber 21. A further passage 44 is .provided in the head Iii and housing 5 at the same side of the valve as the passage 43, and this passage 44 is arranged in the plane of the port 38 of the'valve so as to conduct fuel charges from the passage 36 to the chamber I5 of the housing for compression. Still another passage 45 is provided in the head In and housing 5 at the same side of the valve as the passage 42, and this passage 45 is in the plane of the :port 39 of valve I9 for conducting spent or exhaust gases from the housing chamber I5 to the exhaust passage 31 for ultimate discharge into chamber 23 and then outwardly through exhaust pipe 25.

' For igniting the compressed explosive charges within the combustion chamber 21 at the proper intervals, suitable ignition means is provided including a, spark plug 45 fitted and secured within the hollow shaft 29 of the valve I9, said spark plug having its points exposed within the chamber 21 and provided at its outer end with a contact head 41 constantly engaged by a brush 48 mounted on the head I3 and connected with the ignition wire 49. In this way a constant electrical connection is provided between the wire 49 and the feed terminal of the spark plug, while allowing the spark plug and valve to rotate in the operation of the engine As the piston I2 rotates, the valve I9 is driven so as to register port 38 with passage 44 and admit an explosive charge to the housing chamber I5 in advance of one of the vanes I1 of the engine. Continued rotation of piston I2 causes the explosive charge to be compressed, whereupon the valve I9 will have turned to a position wherein the port 40 has registered with the passage 43 for admitting the compressed charge from the housing chamber I5 to the combustion chamber 21. The compressed charge is then immediately taneously registers with passage 42 so as to permit the expanding gases to pass from the combustion chamber into the chamber I5 of the housing behind the succeeding vane I1 for driving the piston I 2. As the piston continues to rotate, the valve I9 will have its port 39 registered with the passage 45, thereby permitting the spent gases to pass from the housing chamber I5 and outwardly through the exhaust pipe 26 by way of passage 31 and chamber 23. The ports of the valve are in overlapping relation, as shown, so that when a charge is admitted for compression in advance of. one vane, spent exhaust gases are being discharged from in front of the other vane. In other words, high efiiciency is had by overlapping the ports as do the valve operations of ordinary high speed four-cycle engines. The de- 7 scribed cycle of operation is rapidly repeated so as to provide a substantially continuous drive for the power shaft I3, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have provided a very efficient and simplified construction wherein a single rotary valve controls ,theadmission of charges to be compressed, the passage of the compressed charges to the combustion chamber, the passage of the exploded gases from the combustion chamber to the compression and ower chamber of the housing, and the discharge of exhaust gases from the chamber of the housing to the exhaust pipe, said single rotary valve further having the combustion chamber formed therein. Minor changes in details of construction illustrated and described are contemplated, suchas fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

In a rotary combustion engine, a circular housing, an eccentric piston rotatable in the housing, a head mounted on the housing, a single rotary valve journaled in the head and having a combustion chamber therein, said head, housing and valve having cooperating ports and passages for successively controlling the admission of fuel charges to the housing for compression, passage of the compressed charges from the housing to the combustion chamber for firing, passage of the exploded gases from the combustion chamber to the housing, and discharge of the spent gases from the housing to the atmosphere, means for firing the compressed charges within the combustion chamber, and a driving connection between the piston and said Valve, said valve having two longitudinal assages in an end portion thereof, each communicating at its inner end with a dififerent port of the valve, a fitting secured to the head and including a central intake passage communicating with one passage of the valve-and a surrounding exhaust chamber communicating with the other passage of the valve, a charge supplying pipe coupled to the fitting in communication with the first-named passage of the latter, and an exhaust pipe leading from the exhaust chamber of said fitting.

EVERETT W. RICH. 

